Death of Osama bin Laden heads 2011's top religion stories

Some of the year's foremost media stories were generated by religious-inspired events. The Religion Newswriters Association recently polled national religion beat journalists, and compiled a Top 10 list of the year's leading faith stories. The Advocate similarly compiled a list of the most-read religion articles using online analytics to measure website clicks. Here's a look at the Top 10 national and local religion stories, in order of popularity.

NATIONAL, INTERNATIONAL

1. United States military operation kills Osama bin Laden. (May)

2. Congressional hearings held on civil rights of American Muslims, focussing on alleged radicalism and crimes against Muslims. (March)

3. Catholic Bishop Robert Finn, of Kansas City, Mo., indicted on charges of failing to protect children, after waiting five months to report hundreds of child pornography on a priest's computer. (October)

4. A new translation of the Roman Missal introduced to English-speaking Catholic Churches around the world. (November)

6. Pope Benedict XVI beatified Pope John Paul II in a ceremony attended by 1.5 million in St. Peter's Square in Rome. Beatification is the last step before sainthood. (May)

7. California-based Christian radio broadcaster, Harold Camping, attracts attention with Bible-based numerology predictions that the end of the world would be May 21, 2011, then again on Oct. 21, 2011. (May)

8. Michigan-based pastor and author, Rob Bell, stirs controversy and discussion among evangelical groups with his book, "Love Wins." The book offers a softer understanding of hell than originally believed in Christian circles. (March)